AN AFFAIR WITH MUSIC: DJ Lexy J engages Lorato Morapedi

IntroductionMORAPEDI: Lorato Morapedi is my name. A daughter, mother, and sister to all and I am currently the Chief Executive Officer at National Development Bank (NDB).

DJ LEXY J: I’d like to know your relationship with music, when did the love begin? How far back can you remember?MORAPEDI: Woow! It is not easy for me to say but what I can remember is that I have always appreciated music as a medium to communicate different aspects of life around us. When a piece talks to me I will sing along and this can get emotional sometimes! Lol!!

DJ LEXY J: What kind of music do you love and how often do you indulge yourself?MORAPEDI: Bring on a beat, lyrics and sound/melody which is good and talk to me; be it gospel, pop, rock, jazz, choral, classical, you name it. I am good to indulge in. No day passes without music in my life. The first thing that I do when I jump into my car or get into my office is to switch on my radio. I am also a choral singer and working on mastering the basics for playing a piano this year.

DJ LEXY J: How has music influenced your life over the years?MORAPEDI: I have learnt a lot from the stories of life being told my different musicians through song and these have helped me to deal with different situations wiser. Music is a stress releaser for me. A good song gets me up to dance and/or sing along regardless of the space e.g. home, office, public spaces and my happiness will be back.

DJ LEXY J: Does the music you listen to now differ from what you listened to growing up?MORAPEDI: I listened to almost everything in the past and a lot of it was influenced by what place and space I was exposed to. For example, when we were young the only source of music was RB1 and the station influenced the type of music I liked. In addition, there was a lot of peer pressure. I recall there was an era where we listed to reggae then rock because it was the only thing at that time. I still enjoy varied types of music but I am now skewed towards gospel particularly by Joyous Celebrations.

DJ LEXY J: Can you think of any particular music/song that you associate a memory, mood, or place with?MORAPEDI: Ooh there are several…U.N.I.T.Y. by Queen Latifa – my youth (1); Andreas Vollenweider – my big step into married life (2); Special Star by Mango Groove – when feeling very special (3); and Mohau by Joyous Celebrations ft. William Sejaki – when I celebrate the greatness of our God (4).

DJ LEXY J: What’s on your playlist and how do you choose the music that goes onto it?MORAPEDI: Joyous Celebrations. It looks like I am addicted to this. Part of my 2017 plans together with my family is to consciously invest in music and give it the attention it needs because no doubt we love it and it makes a difference in our lives. Talk to me later in the year and my playlist will be more diverse! Lol!!